1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for creating screen savers based on video images.
2. Related Background Art
The function of a screen saver is, as its name indicates, to reduce power consumption of a display device, which may be connected to a personal computer, by dimming out the screen of the display device when the personal computer is not in use, and to prevent baking of the screen. If the screen is completely darkened to reduce the power consumption, the user does not know whether or not the personal computer is powered on. Accordingly, a function of the screen saver is activated such that images and/or characters having a smaller area than the area of the entire screen are normally moved and displayed on the screen to indicate that the personal computer is powered on.
In recent years, the performance of personal computers has substantially improved, and many of them are capable of displaying computer graphics (CG) images over the entire screen as screen savers, for example, a graphic image that looks like a real fish tank of an aquarium. Such CG images may be excessive when serving as screen savers whose fundamental object is to prevent baking of the screen.
Many of the screen savers in recent years successively move objects drawn in 2-D or 3-D graphics. Also, screen savers that reproduce moving images are appearing. For example, a scene where a pet animal such as a dog or a cat is running around in a park may be captured by a video camera, and the photographed moving image itself can be used as a material of a screen saver.
However, in the past, specialized knowledge and/or capability as a software programmer are required to create screen savers based on video images captured by an individual. In other words, a highly skilled technique is required, and therefore it is not easy for individuals without such a highly skilled technique or knowledge (e.g., amateurs) to create screen savers using moving images.
Also, for example, when a screen saver is created using a video image of a moving object such as an animal in a park, which may be captured by a video camera, as a material for the screen saver, a background of the image may be eliminated. In this case, the created moving image in the screen saver looks as if the photographed animal is held in one spot, and the animal is merely moving their legs in that spot. This is because people who takes a moving image usually zooms up an animal (his/her pet in particular) to fit in generally the entire screen of a video camera, and pans the camera to follow the movements of the animal.
To avoid this phenomenon, the video camera may be fixed on a tri-pod, and a wide-angle lens is set on the video camera, such that a substantially large area of the park is captured while the animal is moving around in that large area. However, by setting the video camera in this way, it becomes difficult to see the details of the animal (e.g., facial expression of the animal) in the captured video image due to the limitation of resolution of the video camera.